James dickey



gas; and

tout gaat 'pero ontw.

JAMES 1)'1cKEY,"or vENANeo clrv, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 106,793, dated August 30, 1870.

IMPRQVEMENT IN REMQVING DEPDSITS FROM OIL-WELLS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of .the Jamie To all-whqm, it maycoucern.:

Beit known that I, JAMES DIGKEY, of Venango City, in the county oi' Venango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a'new and useful- Improvement in Removing Paraine Deposits from Oil-Wells and the Grevices of the Oil-Rock; and I do herby declare that the following is ai full, clear, and exact description thercof,'whieh will enable others skilled in the art to make and use'the` same, reference being had to the accompanying. drawing forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved means of removingthe paraine and other combustible deposits from oil-weils and the crevices of the oil-bearing rock leading thereto; and

It consists iu burning out the paradine by means of oxygen or other combustible gas introduced through the well or otherwise, in pipes or by other means, and ignited in the presence of the paratiine, the said gas being introduced by pumps or otherwise; also,in elfectiug the removal, but in a more limited degree, by exploding the oxygengas together with the gas produced in the well.

Figure l is a sectional elevation of one arrangement of oil-wells in common use, showing one arrangement of means for introducing the oxygen-gas;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of a cased well, showing another means of introducing the oxygen- Fignre 3 is a sectional elevation of a cased well, with the pump-tube drawn out.

The crevices in the oil-hearing sand-rock become clogged by the oil which adheres to the walls, also by the seed and other packing used around the well-tube, gradually choking them up. This isthe main cause of the cessation of the production of oil in the'wells, and it is on this account that the torpedoes are now used for breaking up the said rock and blowing oli' the parafue deposit.

I have found by 'practical-experiment Athat these paraiiine and other combustible deposits may be rapidly and eiectually consumedl by the combustion of oxygen-gas in contact with it, leaving little or' no residue, and I remove -it in this way: introducing the gas .to the top of the well and ring it thereat, 'when the well is cased it immediately ignites the deposit in th'e interior of the well-casing and burns downward, consuming it as the tire movesdown, and the burning ceaseswhen the parafine is consumed. Or, when the well is not cased, I introduce the gas through the gasescape pipes ofthe wells below the seed-bags or other packings placed around thepump-tube to prevent the surface water from iilling the well, and ignite itin the said pipes at thetop of the well, whereit mixes with the gas escaping from the well;

from time to time by the paradiue deposited' or I may conduct it to the bottom in cased wells, if preferred, as may sometimes be required. Fromv the bottom of the well the ire follows in like manner the crevices in the sandtrating to great-distances, and as long as the oxygengas is supplied or while it encounters the palaifiuc deposit.

The' fires in the well and the cre'vices are under -all needful cont-rol by regulating and controlling the. sup,- ply of the gas, and thereby all danger from the burning ofthe gas arising iu the` wells is avoided.

In the drawing- A, iig. 1, represents the wall of a well not cased; b is the pump-tube;

c, the sud-bag or packing hetw en the pump-tube and the wall of the well to preven the surface water from owingdown to the pump; and

d is the gas-escape tube commonly passing down below the packing for the reception of the gas produced iu the well and conveyance of it to the lire of the steam-engine.

In this case the oxygen-gas would be introduced l through this pipe d and ignited by a. dame introduced at the top of the pipe D, through any suitable open.

ing in it where the oxygen-gas comes in contact with the gas arising from the well in the said .tube D, which flame will follow down the tube d, fed by the paraline .deposit therein.

Fig. 2 shows a cased'well closed at the tup, e being the case and f the cap at the top.

In such wells the gas-escape pipe a is merely tapped in at the top, and the oxygen-gas would be introduced and tired thereat.

Fig. 3 shows a cased well open at the top, they the gas of the well, from which the tubing has been `the oxygen-gas to the bottom'of the well.

' This pipe is provided with cocks, h i, showing one* be done at the bottom by a spark ot' electricity, conveyed by an insulated wire, K, let down from the top.-

l l represents a vessel charged with oxygen-gas and connected to the pipe g for supplying! the gas to the wire.

m n.V o represent the upper, middle, and lower oil- 'rcck respectively. I

i I am enabled in this mannerto remove the paraine deposits much more cheaply and eiectually than can be done by blasting and breaking up the rock, 'as is now done by torpedoes, and which I have found, iu many instances, not only to fail of removing the said deposits,

the crevices, whereas my. improved mannerof operation cannot injure the well in any way.

I also propose to eii'ect the removal-of said deposit rock, through which the oil owsto the well, pene.

are sometimes used when itis not desirable to sare' removed, and with a pipe, g, introduced for conveying arrangement forignitiug the gases thereat, or it may but to materially injure the wells by whcllyc10sing'npor the detachment thereof from the walls of the wells and the creviees by explosions of the oxygenyas and the gus ot' the Wells when combined therein in sucient quantities, the explosions being caused by electricity, as found most convenient.

I nn y also .produce the necessary combustion for burning the parane gas, effect these explosions, by a combination of the oxygen'of the air wit-h the gas arising in the well, the air being:r forced iu by means of pumps or blowing, :1nd,in sonne cases, I propose to use the oxygen ot' air instead yof t-leoxygcn-gas prepared as above described, but; I prefer to use the latter. Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The herein-described method of removing the parafne and other combustible deposits in oil-wells and the creviccs tributary thereto, by means of the combustion of'oxygen or other combustible gas or air introduced and bumed in the presence of the said deposits, substantially as speciled. v

Also, the herein-described method ot' removing the parafiue deposits from the walls of the wells and the' ercviees tributary thereto, by explosions of oxygengas o1' :tir and the natural gas of the wells, produced substantially as specified.

JAMES DIOKEY. Witnesses GEO.- W. MABEE, ALEX. F. ROBERTS. 

